DON'T BOTHER
by foxdvd
Summary: Nick and Sofie are dating. How will Sara react? Long-lost recently found fic wrote in response to the shipper wars back in 2006.


UPDATE: Sorry about the formatting issues. I don't think I'm quite getting what FF means by "story" and "doc" format...

A/N: Found an old backup disc a couple of weeks ago, and lo and behold, it held most of the stories I have posted in here. I'm pretty sure I posted this one as well, but somewhere along the line I deleted it. I kind feel bad for keeping it away from her "sisters". Can you believe that I actually wrote this ten years ago?

ORIGINAL A/N: Sometimes, fan forums can spark the weirdest of reactions… please don't go browsing the "Have Gun, Will Travel" ads until you've finished reading the story AND the author's notes at the end. Thank you!

Xxx XXX xxX/

"Would you give Sofia a message? Would I? I mean… what makes YOU think I'm your gopher girl? If you need to speak with her so badly, why don't you fetch her yourself?"

Sara was still steaming. How dare Ecklie! She was a CSI; she was busy and she was not happy about being asked to do this messenger stuff. Where the hell was that blond idiot, anyway? Sara had looked for her in every single office in the lab and she was yet to be found. With her luck, the bimbo was probably out stuffing her face…

She hurried past the locker room and did a double take. She literally stopped in her tracks and took two steps back and watched, with certain fascination and horror, what was happening in there. Nick Stokes was sitting on the bench, straddling it. Nothing wrong with that. What was wrong with the picture was the fact that Sofia Curtis was cuddled up in his arms. Sara nearly choked when she saw Nick kiss the other woman's forehead before dipping in for a quick peck on the lips. By the looks of it, this wasn't something that they had not done before. Sara felt like gagging. This was wrong… very wrong. Nick was her friend and Sofia… well, Sofia couldn't be trusted.

Sara wanted nothing better than to throw a hissy fit right then and there. But then she remembered she was supposed to deliver a message to the other woman and her inner tantrum defused. They'd have to break apart. Nick has clocked out some 20 minutes ago and Sofia would have to clock in less than half hour. By the time her meeting with Ecklie was over, she'd have to report to duty. A tiny part of her wanted to cackle evilly but she settled for clearing her throat loudly to catch their attention. Contrary to what she expected, they showed no surprise at all. They even had the gall not to show any sign of guilt. She had just caught them making out, for God's sake! Well, maybe not making out, but… sharing an intimate moment? Behaving sickeningly in love? Having one of those "awwww" moments that made women all over the world swoon and faint? Whatever. They shouldn't feel so cocky about it.

"Ecklie wants to see you ASAP", she said in lieu of a greeting. Sofia sighed and disentangled herself from Nick's arms. A couple of brief kisses and promises to be in touch throughout the day later, she walked out of the locker room, saying "Thank you" when she walked past Sara. That small action of civility irked the brunette beyond measure. Sara looked after Sofia, mentally wishing her to trip or wobble or at least look back to give her a good reason to argue with her, but none of them happened.

With an irritated sigh, she returned her attention to Nick, who was grinning at her. Not his usually friendly smile, mind you, something less warm and welcoming, and Sara had a meltdown: "The fucking bimbo is stealing my friend! She's turning him against me…"

"Spreading your usual charm and joy, I see" Nick observed, not amused in the least.

"Just doing my job" she quipped back

"Aren't we all?"

"Is that a rhetorical question or is there something else I need to be aware of?"

"I know you have to do your job, Sara, but couldn't you be less of a bitch while doing it?"

Sara felt as if she had been slapped. She and Nick had had times when they had butted heads, both being stubborn perfectionists, but he had never called her a bitch before. She immediately assumed the worst.

"What has she told you?" she demanded.

"Nothing. She didn't say anything. I heard through the office's grapevine that a CSI had been overly zealous while dealing with her during her suspension, acting more like an executioner than a fellow coworker, but Sofia never told me who it had been. I had my suspicions, you just confirmed them."

Sara seethed inwards. Things were worse than she had imagined. She decided to try a different approach.

"Nick… I know things haven't been so great the last few months, but that's just us. There's really no need for Spork to come and…"

Nick narrowed his eyes. "What did you just say?" he hissed.

Sara felt like slapping herself. "Fuck, can't believe I let that one slip out!" She had to choose between backpedaling and standing her ground, and she chose the later. "Oh? I thought you heard it. The office grapevine, as you fondly call it, came up with the name. Spork... you know, those things that are a mix of spoon and fork? Plastic wannabes who are pretty much useless…" She left the sentence unfinished, hoping Nick would understand the meaning behind her words without having to explain it to him.

"I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, Sara, but I've never considered you to be a petty, hateful person. Green does not look good on you…"

"I'm not jealous!" Sara interrupted, forcibly.

"Then tell me what has Sofia done to you to deserve that kind of treatment."

"Nothing… she's not just… you know… one of us. She's just a cop." Sara hoped Nick would take the bait and stop digging for the real reason for her behaviour.

"Last time I checked, you had nothing against Brass. And if by "one of us" you mean a CSI; she could fill in for any one of us in a heartbeat. And you know that."

Sara just kept quiet.

"Do you remember when Grissom brought you here? You were the bad guy. We thought you were set on destroying Warrick and considered you the enemy. But once we got to see you were just like us, we welcomed you into the family. Even Cath, after her initial discomfort of having to share our attention with another girl… she embraced you as a mentor."

Sara continued to keep quiet. Yeah, she remembered those days. She was certain that she would never fit in, but she didn't care. She had Grissom on her corner, and that was enough for her.

"As for the name calling… I never heard anyone being nasty to you, not after your drinking issues. Not even after we heard about your mother and your childhood. We never judged you, Sara. Or have you ever heard anyone call you by something other than your name? God knows we all have zillion things to be made fun of… remember my "porn-stache"? But it was all in good jest, and told to my face. So, if you've been extended the courtesy of respect, why can't you extend the same courtesy to Sofia?"

"I… I don't know, Nick. I guess I don't… I don't really like her… maybe I don't know her enough to make a better judgment… I just… reacted, I guess…"

"Reacted? To what? To the fact that Grissom took a liking to her?"

"Don't…"

"Don't what? Go in there? Sara, angel, you're so easy to read when it comes to Grissom. You've snarled at every female lab tech that spent more than 3 seconds briefing him. You even give Cath the "drop-dead" evil eye of yours whenever they are working together in her office. And if I pay attention to gossip, you have both Teri Miller and Lady Heather's faces placed on a dart board…"

"Who the hell…?" erupted Sara.

"Does it really matter? The point is, you care for Grissom and tend to be overly protective when any female comes near him. I can imagine how it felt to find out he had asked out to dinner. And the way he praised her investigative skills! It must have felt horrible."

Sara breathed more easily. Nick understood her. She was forgiven!

"But Grissom's made clear he wants you. And we're all happy for you. Well, maybe not all, but I'm sure Greg will get over his crush on you sooner or later."

Sara could feel her cheeks glowing red. Was everything that obvious to everyone working around her? Serves her right for working with s bunch of people that were paid to observe and arrive to conclusions based on said observations!

"So explain to me why you're still behaving like a vindictive, vicious bitch towards Sofia?"

"Well... I… I…" Sara stammered, not knowing what she could say in her defense.

"You know what? Don't bother answering right now. You don't have to tell me anything. Figure it out yourself and then act accordingly. I'm hoping you reach the right choice, 'cause I won't have you, or anyone else in this lab, disrespecting my girl. You're my friend, Sara, and I'd appreciated it very much if you'd respect my choices. I love you all, and it's not a matter of "either you're with me or you're against me". Think about is Sara, for the sake of us all. Will you?"

Sara was to dumbstruck to say anything, so she merely nodded. Nick got up form the bench and walked towards her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he kissed her gently on the top of her head. Letting her go, he walked out of the locker room without saying another word. Sara sat down on the bench and wondered how she had let things get so bad and not notice it…

Xxx XXX xxX/p

NEW A/N: If you're reading this, please, do drop by and say hello! It's certainly been a while since we last chatted... and, as you can see, some things never change and I'm still shamelessly and blatantly asking for reviews!

ORIGINAL ENDING A/N: Once upon a time, I used to read fan forums. Since I don't live in the US, I'm a tad behind in my viewing and I don't mind being spoiled. Plus, I like to read what other people think. Not anymore. I can't stand the amount of hatred going on between people with opposing views. The "shipper wars" are getting completely out of hand. Hell, people, if I come into fiction land is to get away from the real word! Just one look at the evening news is enough to make you wonder what's wrong with mankind, I don't need to be reminded of it when I come here to get away from it all! Enough already, people!

I don't hate Sara, and I guess I ship GSR like any other CSI fan that's following cannon. You love the idea of Greg having feelings for Sara? Good! It's nice to be reminded of how crushes feel like. Slash rocks your boat? Amen, sister, these guys are gorgeous enough to heat the room when paired together, even if you'd like them to warm your own hetero bed. You dig YoBling? Wonderful! Older woman, younger man; interracial relationship… I'm all for breaking the mold and thinking outside the box.

Just don't tell me I'm a bloody idiot cause you ship differently and this was definitively not of your liking. You have your opinion, I have mine, and we're both entitled to it. As long as we both understand that and respect it, we're fine. Let's hear it for variety and respect. God knows we've screwed up real life enough already…


End file.
